


Rules

by flootzavut



Series: Lie to NCIS [9]
Category: Lie to Me (TV), NCIS
Genre: Awesome Foursome, Crossover, Friendship, Gen, Gibbs/Cal friendship, Humour, JxC, Lie to NCIS, Natural meet natural, foursomeverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-14
Updated: 2016-01-14
Packaged: 2018-05-13 23:47:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5721598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flootzavut/pseuds/flootzavut
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gibbs, meet Ria. Ria, meet Gibbs.</p><p>Crib notes for the fandom blind included :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rules

**Author's Note:**

> Kate lives!AU. Post LTM canon, playing fast and loose with NCIS canon as it suits me, in a 'verse where Kate is still alive and working for NCIS.
> 
> NCIS folks: Gill and Cal are experts in lie detection, using facial expression (reading emotion), vocal stress analysis and other expertise. The Lightman Group helps various law enforcement agencies and other people when the truth is at stake.
> 
> LTM folks: Kate and Gibbs are federal agents who work for NCIS, investigating crimes affecting the US Navy or Marines. Kate is ex-Secret Service. Gibbs is a team leader and is reknowned for his gut instincts.

* * *

_**Rules** _

* * *

__

"Hi," says a warm, feminine voice.

Gibbs looks up from the copy of Cal's book he's been leafing through as he waits for the man himself to reappear.

"Hi." He thinks for a second. She's familiar; he's gotten the low down on most of the staff, and he's seen her around, but there hasn't been time to talk to everyone properly. "Ria, right?" The young woman Cal refers to alternately as 'the new me' and 'bloody natural, all false positives and no science' depending on what mood he's in.

She smiles, seems pleased he remembers her name. "And you're Gibbs."

"In the flesh." He grins. "Don't believe everything you've been told."

Her smile widens. "Oh, don't worry, it's all been good."

"Definitely don't believe it, then."

She laughs and flops down into the chair opposite him. "Okay. Should I be worried here?"

Gibbs shrugs. "You work with Cal. You'll prob'ly survive talking to me."

"Just don't get me involved in any gunfights, okay?"

"Would I?"

"According to Lightman, definitely."

"In my defence, that was not a gunfight, that was just a couple rounds. And he didn't even get shot."

Ria raises her eyebrows. "See, pain in the ass I'm used to, dangerous I prefer to avoid."

"You calling me a pain in the ass, Torres?"

She doesn't look remotely abashed, and Gibbs is undeniably impressed.

"No, he's the pain in the ass, you're just dangerous."

"Think you'll find I'm just as much of a pain in the ass as Cal."

Ria sniggers. "Yeah, you don't really know Lightman very well yet, do you? Believe me, the man has pain in the ass down to a science."

Gibbs chuckles. "Yeah, well, you don't know me yet. If y'ask the FBI or CIA, they might be able to enlighten ya. Or-" he shrugs "-bunch of agency directors, mine included, couple foreign intelligence agencies, past and present directors of Mossad. SecNav. SecDef." He thinks about it. "And a few terrorist groups, but I guess they ain't supposed to be fond of me." He grins at Ria's expression. "I've pissed off some pretty important people here and there."

"Oh. Okay." Ria nods slowly. "Now I understand why Lightman doesn't mind working with you guys," she admits with a grin. "Sounds like you're on the same page he is."

"Does he even stay on the page? More likely to rip it out and burn it."

Ria laughs outright. "You have a point."

Gibbs grins. "Playbook's overrated. Got my own rules."

"Yeah?"

"Uh-huh."

"Care to share?"

"Rule seven: 'Always be specific when you lie.'"

He can see her figuring out it's a test. "Cute. But that was the truth."

"'Don't believe what you're told. Double check.' Rule three." He shrugs. "Well, one of 'em."

"One of them?"

"Long story."

"Oh, I bet you're full of stories."

He grins. She doesn't know the half of it. He decides he'll test her a little more. "Could tell you 'bout when I tried to hijack Air Force One if you like."

Her face goes from amused to startled and slightly shocked. "Also true."

"You're good. Didn't actually hijack it, by the way. Y'know, in case you were wonderin'." He nods. "Turns out I didn't need to. Did steal a gun and shoot a bad guy, though. Then stole a presidential bodyguard. You met Kate yet?"

He grins at her expression. Most people would be trying to figure out what he was lying about at this point, or maybe wondering if any of it was true.

Ria knows he isn't lying, and if he's any judge, she's currently trying to work out whether he's delusional or if she should be calling the FBI about a dangerous criminal loose in the building. Gibbs is enjoying himself so much teasing her, he's running his mouth off enough to rival Cal.

"It was for a case," he says, like that explains everything.

Of course, on his team, it pretty much does, but he's aware other people aren't usually quite so cavalier. (Except, possibly, Lightman.)

She shakes her head in disbelief, her eyes wide. "You really aren't regular Feds, are you?"

"Damn sure hope not."

"No wonder Lightman likes you." She rolls her eyes. "He has a... flexible attitude toward laws. And boundaries. And common sense."

Gibbs laughs. "Yeah, I kinda noticed."

Something flickers across her face, then gets shut down. "Well, he does love to break rules and push buttons."

"And you'd rather he left off pushing yours."

She seems startled, but doesn't say anything.

"How d'you end up doing this, then?" He figures a change of subject is a good idea, since it seems like Lightman is a sore spot. (Gibbs can't say he's surprised. He enjoys working with Cal, but wouldn't want to be subordinate to him.) "Psych major? Glutton for punishment?"

She laughs, her posture relaxing. Apparently it was the right move.

"Both reasonable assumptions. But actually, I was headhunted." She smiles again, and it's obviously a source of pride. Having seen Gill and Cal at work, he figures she has the right; anyone they'd go out of their way to recruit must be special.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I worked for TSA, and I was good at it - I mean, really good. I got noticed." She shrugs. She's trying not to boast, but she is, understandably, preening a bit. "So they came looking for me."

"Glad you changed careers?"

Her expression fluctuates again. He can't fathom what she's thinking, but apparently he's doing a Cal and pushing her buttons, even if it's not on purpose. She shrugs a shoulder noncommittally. "Mostly. I don't have a degree or anything. This was a big opportunity for me. But... it's hard." She shakes her head. "You notice stuff, and it's not always good stuff, which can make friendships and relationships kind of... difficult. I mean, some lies, sometimes..." Her voice goes quiet. "Well, you'd be better off never knowing. Better off believing the lie." She laughs softly, without humour. "I was better at fooling myself before."

"Yeah." He nods. He knows that from experience. "Not always easy being the one who sees the stuff other people miss. Can be lonely."

"Yeah." She shrugs again. "I mean, I'm doing something worthwhile, I help people, but sometimes I wish I could go back to when life was... simpler."

He studies her face for a moment. "Nah, you don't really wish that."

"Don't I?" She arches an eyebrow at him sceptically, but he has a lot of confidence in his assessment. From what Gill's said about Ria, from the little he's seen, he's sure she isn't dumb enough to mean it.

"Nope. You're too smart for that. You want to want your old life back, but you don't really. You don't waste good, Torres, and you're good."

She gives him a quizzical look.

"Rule five. 'Don't waste good.'"

"Should I be writing these down?"

He grins. "Or you could crochet them on pillows."

She goggles.

He grins wider. "Kiddin'."

Apparently, working with Cal for several years hasn't made her entirely immune to craziness. Most people Gibbs crosses paths with these days expect him to be a bit of a loose cannon. It's kinda fun to know he can catch Ria off her guard, despite her superior people-reading skills.

She shakes her head, but grins again. "You're easy to talk to." She sounds surprised, which makes him wonder what exactly Cal's told her. (He's fairly sure Gillian wouldn't say anything to make Ria apprehensive. Cal? Yeah, he doesn't have quite the same confidence when it comes to Cal.)

"Thanks."

"So..." She looks at him curiously. "How did you end up at NCIS?"

He swallows back the sudden knot of emotion at the question. He's sort of gotten used to people either knowing his reasons or being too scared of him to ask. He didn't expect an innocent and perfectly reasonable question to pop up out of nowhere and ambush him. "I, uh-" He clears his throat. "That's... kind of a long story, too."

"Oh." She pauses, studies his expression. "Okay." It's clear from the look on her face that she's seeing stuff he didn't mean her to see on his face, but she also clearly knows when not to pry. (Cal could take lessons from her on that.) "And NCIS is, what, just for Navy crimes?"

"Navy and Marine Corps."

"Huh. I've worked with FBI, Homeland, Army CID, local Sheriff offices, all sorts, but NCIS is a new one on me."

He chuckles, glad for the subject change and to have made it past the awkward moment. "Well, our mandate is pretty specific."

"I'll say. I'd never even heard of NCIS until you all showed up."

It comes out rather blunt, but Gibbs has long since stopped being insulted when people have no idea what NCIS stands for or who they are. "Trust me, we get that all the time." He puts a note of tease into his voice, and stifles a wicked grin when she gets flustered.

"Oh... I didn't mean..." It's subtle, she's trying to cover it, but he can see she's wishing desperately she could take it back.

He studies her face a moment longer, then smiles. "Never say you're sorry. It's a sign of weakness."

Ria looks confused for a second before her eyebrows shoot up toward her hairline. She's more than startled this time, but he has no idea why.

"What?"

"Rule six." Gibbs shrugs. "Just, you know... I'm not so easily offended. Y'don't need to feel bad."

Apparently, this isn't as reassuring as he meant it to be, if her wide-eyed shock is anything to go by. "How did-? Have you had deception training?" she demands. "Are you a profiler?"

He frowns, confused. "Why'n hell would ya think that?"

She shakes her head, looking utterly taken aback. "Foster did say you were good."

"Good at what?"

"Reading emotions." She shakes her head again, lets out a surprised huff of laughter and disbelief. "People often don't even pick up on obvious shows of emotion. You keep reading me when I don't mean you to." Her emphasis makes it clear it's not something she's used to.

He shrugs a shoulder again. "Just a knack, I guess. Gut instinct."

Her eyes widen, and she looks amused and pleased. "You're a natural."

"I'm a what?"

"It's what they call it. People who don't need training to be able to do what Cal and Gill do."

"And what you do."

She nods. "Well, yeah. But not because I'm a scientist or anything. I mean, I'm learning, trying to, but I'm a natural, like you."

"Oh." Ria's smiling at him again, almost... relieved, for some reason. "That a good thing?"

"Depends who you ask. And probably how good of a mood he's in."

Gibbs laughs at the implication. He can well imagine. Gill wouldn't have a problem, but Cal? "Right."

Cal's talked, occasionally ranted, about 'naturals', but he doesn't tend to actually explain himself unless pressed. Gibbs has been meaning to ask Gill what it meant, but the opportunity hasn't arisen.

It's suddenly making a lot more sense.

"It's nice to know I'm not the only one around any more," she admits with another smile. "Sometimes I feel like a freak." She rolls her eyes, there's a lot of humour in her tone, but she does seem genuinely pleased.

"Doesn't seem like that'd necessarily be a bad thing round here." Gibbs cocks an eyebrow, and Ria laughs.

"Yeah, you have a point. Have you met Loker yet?"

Gibbs scans his memories. "Maybe in passing? Brown curly hair, kinda lanky, no filter?"

"That'd be Loker."

"He told Kate he liked her ass."

Kate had been... taken aback. Gibbs is just glad he didn't witness it; he doesn't think pounding one of Cal's employees to a pulp in the heat of the moment would've been a great way to start this partnership.

"Oh, then it was definitely Loker." She laughs again. "It's best to ignore him when he's being obnoxious. He's having another go at radical honesty."

"Yeah?"

"It can be kind of annoying, but he's mostly harmless. Just don't ask him anything you don't want an answer to."

Gibbs chuckles. "I'll bear that in mind."

He doesn't notice the approaching footsteps until their tête à tête is rudely interrupted. "Oi, do I pay you two to gossip?"

Cal has reappeared at last, and they both look up. He's doing a grumpy face, but even Gibbs can tell it's completely phoney

"Nah. You don't pay me at all, and this one-" Gibbs nods his head toward Ria "-prob'ly shoulda gone home an hour ago."

Cal grins, waggles his eyebrows. "Aye aye. Just keeping you on your toes. 'Lo, Torres."

"Lightman." Ria's greeting is cool and professional.

Gibbs can't decide if it's respect or dislike. She's not quite Cal, but she does have an impressive poker face when she's making the effort.

"Hey, Cal."

Cal turns to greet him properly and spreads his arms wide. "Gibbs, me old china, you better not be poaching my staff for NCIS."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Cal turns back to Ria and puts a hand up to his mouth, speaking in a stage whisper. "He'll try and tell you things are more exciting over on the Navy Yard, but what he really means is you'll get paid less, work longer hours, and get shot or blown up at least once a year."

Gibbs laughs. Cal's been in a strange frame of mind for the last week or so, tongue tied (well, by his standards) and giving Gibbs furtive looks for no apparent reason. It's kind of a relief to have him back at full strength - even if full strength, in Cal's case, is just a euphemism for 'unable to stop himself being hugely annoying'; it's weirdly endearing.

Ria rolls her eyes and turns to Gibbs. She's relaxed a little and he can see she's amused as much as anything. "Any chance you can take him to work at NCIS?"

He grins. "Nah, they're only allowed one insane rule-breaker on staff at a time, and I'm it."

She sighs. "Too bad."

Cal does a sad puppy face even Tony would be proud of. "You wound me, Torres," he says, with a hand clutching his heart.

Ria snorts. "Yeah right." She smirks. "Just try not to get into any more gun battles, or Foster will kill you both."

"Any more would imply he'd already been in one," says Gibbs derisively, "which definitely ain't the case."

"It so was a gun battle, there were guns and bullets and you got shot-"

"I got grazed."

"You were bleeding!"

"It was nothin'."

"D'you see what I mean, Torres? I told you before. He's a madman. I'm lucky to be alive."

"Not so lucky for the rest of us," says Gibbs, though he grins even as he says it. "Drama queen. So much fuss over a bullet grazin' my shoulder, you'da thought I nearly died, or he did..."

"There were people shooting at us, how's that not a gun battle then, eh?"

"More danger of gettin' hurt on the set of a spaghetti Western."

"Torres, kindly explain to this, this  _plonker,_  that I just don't want to die, would you?"

"Oh God, no." Ria shakes her head in alarm. "Okay, I'm leaving, no way I'm getting involved in this." She offers her hand to Gibbs, who shakes it. "Nice to finally meet you properly. Try not to get either of you dead. I know it can't be easy to keep this lunatic alive, but..."

Gibbs grins. "I'll do my best," he promises.

She nods at them both, then turns on her heel and walks briskly away. Gibbs has a suspicion she's just trying to cut and run before another argument breaks out.  _Wise woman_.

He looks at Cal, who's watching Ria leave with his chest puffed out like a peacock. He looks sorta ridiculous, though Gibbs can't help but smile all the same. It's absurd but also kinda cute.

"Hangs on my every word, she does," Cal intones, full of pride, jutting his chin out.

"And here I thought you were s'posed to be an expert at truth detection."

"I am!" Cal contrives to look injured at the implication.

"If she's such a fan, why's she tryin' to pawn you off on NCIS?"

Cal pouts. "You're just jealous I've got minions."

Gibbs gives him a look. "'Minions'? Delusions of grandeur, more like."

"See, I was gonna offer to buy you a pint, but I'm seriously reconsidering it right now."

"Make it a couple shots of bourbon and I'll even foot the bill."

Cal keeps his hurt expression on for at least ten seconds, which by his standards is quite a coup, then he's grinning. "Forgiven."

"Remind me, why do we put up with ya?"

"Hmmm." Cal looks thoughtful. "You know what, Gill asks me that all the time. Dunno why."

"Yeah, can't imagine." Gibbs administers a headslap. "Idiot."

"She calls me that and all," he says, happily. Like DiNozzo, Lightman takes a worrying amount of pleasure in physical abuse. "Are we off, then?"

Gibbs shakes his head with a smile he can't quite subdue. Yeah, he likes working with Cal, and sometimes he really wonders why. "Pain in the ass," he mutters, but he can't summon up any heat. "Let's see if we can make it out the building without you pissin' anyone off, okay?"

"Spoiling my fun, I dunno..."

Gibbs rolls his eyes as they head out. Lightman is definitely back at full strength, and that's a good thing... just as long as they can make sure no one kills or maims him for it.

_~ fin ~_


End file.
